The smartphone-tablet hybrid, or phablet, is being sold by U.S. carriers for $300 with a two-year contract, with Sprint taking the lead by starting sales today, Oct. 25. AT&T and Verizon start sales in November, and it's not clear yet when T-Mobile will start selling the Android 4.1 device, which boasts a 5.5-inch screen and that first became available in South Korea. Galaxy Note II has a quad-core 1.6GHz processor.

James isn't the only big shot promoting the Galaxy Note II. Samsung had singer Kayne West perform at its New York City press event for the product.

Bob Brown tracks network research in his Alpha Doggs and Facebook page, as well on Twitter and Google +.